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Former NBA star Nate Robinson is heading into a boxing ring to fight Jake Paul after just having started his own boxing journey. Luckily for Robinson, who faces Paul on the undercard of the upcoming battle between former undisputed heavyweight champion Mike Tyson and four-division king Roy Jones Jr., Robinson will have learned from some of the best fighters in boxing history by the time he gets there.
“It’s so cool learning from so many different guys,” Robinson told Heavy. “I just recently talked to Floyd Mayweather on the phone. He’s going to fly me down to Vegas in August to come train with him.”
Robinson takes on Paul on the undercard of the Tyson-Jones Jr. pay-per-view card that happens on September 12 at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.
The action is scheduled to begin at 9 p.m ET aired on pay-per-view through cable, satellite, and Triller as the exclusive streaming pay-per-view for $49.99.
Nate Robinson Just Started Boxing Two Weeks Ago
Robinson revealed to Heavy that he just started training in the sport in which he plans to make his professional debut in less than two months, but that he believes his supreme athleticism coupled with his experience as a professional athlete, will help carry him to victory.
“Two weeks! I’ve been boxing for two weeks now,” Robinson said.
Still, the three-time NBA dunking champion admitted that he’s been following the sport for a long time now, so he feels he’s farther ahead than others that might be trying to do the same.
“I’ve been a fan of it for so long, man,” Robinson said.
The 36-year-old said he’s excited to start sparring soon so that he can prepare to win.
“That’s the beauty of getting ready for a fight,” Robinson said. “Once I get a couple of spars in with some big-time champions, and I get in the ring and see what it feels like to really go through the rounds…it’s going to be fun.”
Robinson was selected 21st overall by the Phoenix Suns in 2005 and enjoyed an illustrious 11-year career playing for the New York Knicks, Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls and Denver Nuggets.
Nate Robinson Getting Help From Top Boxing Champions
But Mayweather isn’t Robinson’s only secret weapon.
The ex-NBA baller also said he plans to train with three-division champion Terence Crawford, the fighter some consider to be the best pound-for-pound boxing champion in the world today.
“I talked to Terence Crawford,” Robinson said. “I’m going to get in there with him to learn some stuff from. I’m going to go down to Nebraska to work out and train with him.”
And if all that wasn’t enough, Robinson said he’s also been watching film of retired pound-for-pound king Andre Ward.
“I’m a big fan of Andre Ward,” Robinson said. “I’ve been watching and studying his movements. I’m definitely doing my homework and learning from the best.”
So Robinson might be a relative novice when it comes to professional prizefighting, especially in comparison to Paul, who has been training for over two years and is 1-0 as a professional, but Robinson believes he can make up that lost ground super fast.
“I’m just trying to piggyback and learn off some of the champions who are undefeated…the pound-for-pound best boxers to ever have stepped in the ring,” Robinson said. “I just want to learn something from each and every one of them.”
And Robinson plans to parlay all that help into making a big splash on September 12.
“I’m gonna look polished,” Robinson said. “I’m gonna look like I’ve been doing this for years.”
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